30 Indian-origin men, women in Forbes list of super achievers

January 4, 2017

New York, Jan 4: Over 30 Indian-origin innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders have been featured in the 2017 edition of Forbes' list of super achievers under the age of 30 who seek to break the status quo and transform the world.

Untitled-1
The Forbes list has 30 game changers in 20 industries including healthcare, manufacturing, sports and finance.

The 600 in the list are "challenging the conventional wisdom and rewriting the rules for the next generation of entrepreneurs, entertainers, educatorsand more. They are passionate and formidable bunch, and for good reason. Their goal is nothing short of breaking the status quo and transforming the world."

The group has over 30 men and women who are of Indian-origin and are making a mark in their fields.

The list includes 27-year-old Vivek Kopparthi, cofounder of NeoLight that has developed a phototherapy device that is portable for use at home for jaundice.

The company is also working on a second tool to treat infant hypothermia.

Prarthna Desai, 27, left her Harvard graduate school programme to use drones to get medication to people in the developing world.

In her operations role at the healthcare company Zipline, she is leading efforts to integrate the medicine- delivery-by-drone service with the healthcare system in Rwanda.

Shaun Patel, 28, is the orthopedic surgery chief resident at Harvard Medical School and has dozens of scientific publications in surgery journals.

His company, OrthoNinja, aims to streamline communication between doctors by creating a mobile app that allows doctors to consult with one another.

Rohan Suri, 17 is the founder of Averia Health Solutions and has developed an improved concussion test.

In the law and policy category is 27 year old Varun Sivaram, Acting Director: Energy Security and Climate Change in leading think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

Sivaram completed his PhD at Oxford University and is on the advisory boards for Stanford's energy and environment institutes.

He is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University teaching "clean energy innovation" and previously, he advised Hillary Clinton's campaign on energy policy.

In manufacturing and industry, Neha Gupta, 28, played a role in the sale of Beats by Dre to Apple.

She manages manufacturing and supply chain for DAQRI, which makes augmented reality headsets to improve safety and efficiency for industrial workers.

Featured in the social entrepreneurs category is Aditya Agarwalla, 23, Cofounder of Kisan Network, The Princeton University dropout co-founded the Kisan Network, which is an online marketplace for small-scale farmers in India.

In the sports category is Akshay Khanna, 29, Vice President of Strategy for American football team Philadelphia 76ers.

Among the top guns in the venture capital sector is Anarghya Vardhana, 28, who joined the firm Maveron after spending a year at Rothenberg Ventures, where she launched a virtual reality accelerator and sourced and made seed investments in a dozen startups in the virtual reality space.

Akshay Goyal, 28, is the Vice President of Starwood Capital.

The youngest vice president in Starwood's history when he was promoted at the age 26, Goyal focuses on hotel acquisitions and has helped drive over USD 7 billion in deals.

Recently he helped sell a portfolio of 240 US hotels to China Life for USD 2 billion.

In the consumer technology sector is Ajay Yadav, 29, who is the founder of Roomi, a startup app that lets users find the right roommate to live with, chat with each other, search for listings, apply for an apartment and pay rent.

New York-based Roomi has raised USD 7 million to date.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
December 20,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 20: City Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy has issued a high-alert warning to vehicle owners regarding a surge in cyber fraud targeting those looking to pay traffic violation fines. Fraudsters are reportedly exploiting recent government discount schemes on traffic penalties to deceive citizens.

The Scam: How Fraudsters Strike

Criminals are using SMS, WhatsApp, and social media to circulate suspicious links and APK files (Android application packages). They claim these apps allow users to pay e-challans at a discount.

•    Device Hacking: Downloading these unauthorized apps gives hackers full access to the victim's smartphone.

•    Financial Theft: Once the phone is compromised, fraudsters intercept OTPs and personal data to drain bank accounts.

•    Phishing Sites: Fake websites mimicking official portals are also being used to harvest banking credentials.

Already, two residents within Mangaluru city limits have reported significant financial losses after falling victim to these fraudulent apps.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
December 15,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 15: Educational institutions in Mangaluru that rely on the popular Mangala Stadium for their annual sports events are bracing for an inconvenience as the city's key sporting venue is set to close its gates for a significant upgrade. The stadium is expected to be unavailable for approximately two months starting from January 15, 2026.

The closure is necessitated by a proposed overhaul of the stadium's facilities, with a special focus on upgrading the synthetic track. Pradeep Dsouza, Assistant Director of the District of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES), Dakshina Kannada, confirmed the development.

"Experts have visited the stadium, conducted a thorough inspection, and have given the go-ahead for a complete makeover," Dsouza stated. "Funds have been allocated for the project, and we are currently awaiting the final green signal from state officials to commence the work. We anticipate that the work will likely begin in the second week of January. Consequently, we have stopped renting out the stadium to colleges and other organizations in preparation for the upgrade."

The timing presents a logistical challenge for colleges, as many schools have already concluded their sports meets.

"Colleges will now be organizing their events and will need to find alternative locations to host their sports meets," Dsouza added. He suggested a few potential venues, including the Dakshina Kannada police ground, University College grounds, Panambur grounds, Swaraj Maidan in Moodbidri, and the Mangalore University sports grounds in Konaje.

However, many institutions note that finding a comparable venue will be difficult. While the DK police ground and University College grounds are closer to the city center, they do not possess the extensive facilities and infrastructure offered by Mangala Stadium.

Dr. P Dayananda Pai - P Satisha Govt First Grade College, Carstreet, is one such institution dependent on the stadium. Principal Jayakar Bhandary expressed hope for a swift completion of the work. "We expect the work to be completed at the earliest. If not, we will be forced to look for other venues to host the sports day for our students," Bhandary said, highlighting the pressing need for the city's main sporting facility.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.